The trial of Erik Robert Zimmerman, 20, of Marble, N.C., is set for Aug. 30 in Clarke County State Court. He is charged with animal cruelty, stemming from a Dec. 12 incident in which he spotted the raccoon in the parking lot of his fraternity's South Milledge Avenue house.

If convicted, Zimmerman could be sentenced up to one year in jail and/or fined up to $1,000.

Zimmerman, at a February hearing, testified that he tossed a construction pylon at the raccoon in an attempt to scare it away. He then shot the animal several times after the pylon errantly struck it.

Although they were involved in the incident, Patrick Perry and Ivan Garcia - Zimmerman's Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers - do not face criminal charges. One skinned the raccoon, while the other cooked and ate a piece of its flesh, but neither participated in the killing.

Wayne Burnaine, Zimmerman's attorney, declined to elaborate on how he'll convince a jury that his client is innocent.

''At this stage, you never know what's going to happen,'' he said Thursday. ''I'm just going with the flow right now until we get into court.''

Burnaine last month voluntarily withdrew a pair of motions he had filed in recent months, on Zimmerman's behalf.

The first contended that Zimmerman was deceived by Athens-Clarke County Animal Control officers, who responded to the incident. The officers never informed Zimmerman of his rights to remain silent or to retain an attorney, the motion said.

Burnaine also backed off a motion to suppress photographs taken at the scene, images Burnaine had claimed were digitally enhanced.

Zimmerman posted $1,000 bond and was released Feb. 5 from Clarke County Jail, the same day an Athens-Clarke County Magistrate Court judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

The UGA sophomore was not disciplined by the university because he did not violate UGA's student conduct code. The fraternity is waiting until Zimmerman's court case is completed before potentially punishing him, officials said.